Accused tire-slasher claims he was drunk, high

MARYSVILLE — A Marysville man accused of malicious mischief in a tire-slashing spree last December allegedly hit close to home.

His next door neighbor had her tires punctured, too, according to a police report used to establish probable cause for his arrest.

The suspect, 27, was booked into the Marysville Jail last week for investigation of 10 counts of malicious mischief, a gross misdemeanor.

As many as 160 cars had tires slashed during the night of Dec. 6 and early morning of Dec. 7, according to police department estimates.

An officer assigned to the police department’s Pro-Act Unit followed up on a lead provided by someone who wanted to remain anonymous. The tip came in early March and opened the door to additional information that led to the arrest, according to court records.

The initial witness told police that the man bragged that he and a friend were high and drunk when they decided to slash tires in the neighborhood in the 5700 block of 100th Street on Dec. 6.

The pair were stopped and questioned by police in front of the suspect’s home that night. The suspect indicated that they got away with it because they had come home to dry off on the rainy night and their clothes were not wet.

His companion that night was questioned in March. He denied involvement or witnessing any tires being slashed. In April, he was questioned again and acknowledged witnessing the suspect slash the neighbor’s tires.

Police initially approached the suspect March 6 and found him at a tire shop in Marysville.

He “immediately began to shake visibly” when a police officer told him that witnesses had come forward and implicated him in the tire slashings, court papers said. He denied the allegations.

The vandalism hit at a bad time, putting a crimp in holiday budgets. Money that was earmarked for Christmas presents was spent instead on new tires.

Police do not have a motive, Marysville Cmdr. Jeffrey Goldman said.

The suspect was convicted of burglary in 2006 in Snohomish County Superior Court. As part of a restitution agreement, he and a co-defendant were ordered to pay restitution. The suspect was sentenced to 10 days in jail in February for failing to make payments toward his court-ordered financial obligations.